The only thing that stops the dust is the rain. It’s a sweet reprieve, but there is no middle ground. The land is either as dry as the Betty Ford clinic, or as wet as the ocean floor. Everything can be seen from the ridge overlooking Armadillo as John Marston gently bounces along atop...

Metroid Prime FAQ/Walkthrough

Guide For Metroid Prime %######@@###### ASCII courtesy of
Written by black hole sun .oo.ooo%@@@@@%OoO".o## Dark Phenomenon
Version 2.10 o,.O#@%%#O%%@@O', .##"%#O
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%######@@######
Metroid Prime has finally arrived! One of the most eagerly anticipated games
of 2002 is here in our lovely little GameCubes. By all accounts Ms. Aran's new
adventure is going to receive the coveted GOTY. But enough about how great
Metroid is. I'm sure you well knew that when you popped open the package; you
must have some other reason to coming here then listen to my rambling. Maybe you
need help with this challenging Metroid game? Well, that is exactly why this
file exists, so feel free to scroll down and have your little brains educated
on the big, bad world of Tallon IV.
Table of Incompetence
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
Look here, then for wherever you want to go, enter the assigned numbers on
The right into the search function (CTRL + F) to arrive where you need to; this
is much faster than using the scroll bar.
i) But First!
Notes
Legal
Revision History
1) Chapter One: Introductions and Tutorials
Introduction [1.1]
Storyline [1.2]
Controls [1.3]
Combat / The Basics [1.4]
2) Chapter Two: The Walkthrough
Proglogue: The Frigate [2.1]
Tallon IV's Treasures [2.2]
Frigid Heat [2.3]
Of Ruins and Mines [2.4]
Metroids, Ridley, and Even Bigger Metroids [2.5]
The Grand Finale [2.6]
3) Chapter Three: Gotta Catch 'em all!
Suit Augmentations [3.1]
Chozo Artifacts [3.2]
Missile Expansions [3.3]
Energy Tanks [3.4]
Chozo Lore [3.5]
Pirate Research Logs [3.6]
4) Chapter Four: Outro
Credits [4.1]
Contact Guidelines [4.2]
Legal (again...) [4.3]
Sections in the walkthrough contain the following upgrades:
[Artifacts and Weapon Combo's are not listed here]
Tallon IV's Treasures : Missiles, Morph Ball, Morph Ball Bomb, Varia
Suit
Frigid Heat : Speed Ball, Space Boots, Wave Beam, Spider
Ball
Of Ruins and Mines : Ice Beam, Gravity Suit, Power Bomb, X-Ray
Visor
...and even Bigger Metroids : Plasma Beam, Phazon Suit
The Grande Finale : The Final Boss...duh.
______________________________________________________________________________
Read this stuff. It's essentially irrelevant, but just think of this as the FAQ
of the FAQ, if that makes sense.
* This guide was written for the United States version of Metroid Prime,
_not_ the PAL or Japan version. There may be slight differences between the
two, but our PALs in Europe (pardon the pun) and the Japanese won't be seeing
Ms. Aran until March. Ha-ha, ha-ha. It's only fair since those $%@!%&@ in
Japan get Zelda four months before we do [face_really_really_angry]
* I'm not allowing this guide on ANY website other than GameFAQs, Gamespot, and
CheatCodes. NO OTHER SITE IS PERMITTED TO HOST THIS FILE.
* IF YOU ARE GOING TO EMAIL ME WITH A QUESTION, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE MAKE
SURE IT CAN'T BE ANSWERED IN THE GUIDE! I WILL NOT ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT
CAN BE FOUND IN THE GUIDE; I SIMPLY DO NOT HAVE THE TIME TO DEAL WITH SUCH
LAZINESS (or illiteracy, which is quite common over the internet) ON YOUR
GUYS' PART.
------------------
-Revision History-
------------------
v. 2.10 ~ January 15th, 2003 ~ Two more strategies have been added to the Omega
Pirate, a few minor corrections, and the 'Cipher' Chozo Lore has been added.
v. 2.00 ~ January 7th, 2003 ~ Want to know what MY new years was like?
Recovering ALL of my FAQ files that crashed and failed to open when I
transferred them to a floppy disk. Yes, I know, all floppy disks suck and I
should be beaten with a sledge hammer for using them, but I did and I suffered
the consequences. For two hours alone I spent fixing and recovering this FAQ.
ARGH. Bleh, happy new years. Oh yes, and all of the nasty line break problems
have been fixed as well. This will, in all likelihood, be the last update. Oh
yes, one more thing:
Game Recommendation -
Want to know what to play AFTER Metroid? Well, I'll tell ya'll what. I just felt
like making this, though it's incredibly off topic. Sue me, I can do what I
want! *snickers evilishly* Most of these aren't on GCN, though.
! = You absolutely must own this game or hairy demons wearing "WASUP!"
tee-shirts will eat your entrails.
* = You should own this game...because I said so.
Morrowind! [PC, Xbox, either one will do]
No One Lives Forever 2! [PC - I'm making a FAQ for this, if you wanted to know]
Suikoden III! [PS2]
ICO* [PS2]
Deus Ex! [PS2 or PC, PC version much better]
And just because this a GameCube game, I HAVE to list at least one (there aren't
many worth listing, lol...)
Pikmin*
[ALL PREVIOUS UPDATE DESCRIPTIONS DELETED]
The grounds on which I may hire Johnny Cockrin and sue for ungodly sums of
money (aka THE LEGAL NOTICE):
This guide may NOT be freely distributed among the WWW. This guide may NOT
appear on ANY site, or be linked to on ANY site, but GameFAQs and GameSpot and
CheatCodes. This guide may not be ripped off, meaning you cannot paraphrase this
and submit it under your name. It may not be redistributed electronically or
physically, except for personal, private use. This guide may not be modified in
any way, shape, or form without the authors (my) consent. Anyone who violates
these terms of service is subject to the punishment of the full extent via
various copyright violations. This copyright notice expires when the United
States expires and short Chinese people take over the earth, so if you're
wanting to violate this, you're in for a wait.
___________________________________________________
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\ Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = /
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Chapter One: Introductions and Tutorials
___________________________________________________
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__ __ __ __
/__\/__\ [1.1] Introduction [1.1] /__\/__\
\__/\__/Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯\__/\__/
Metroid Prime. Two words that when uttered send a chill down every GameCube
fanatic's, hell, even every Xbox and PS2 fanatics spine (though they'd never
admit it!). This, my friends, is the long-awaited continuation of the Metroid
series, the last being the 1994 smash hit "Super Metroid" on the SNES. Boy,
has the wait been worth it.
You're Samus Aran, tracking down the evil Space Pirates, creators of the
Phazon virus, which has mutated the once-beautiful world of Talon IV into a
gruesome display of beasts and horrors beyond imagination. Well, not quite
beyond the imaginations of those freaks and genius's at Retro! This is quite
possibly the most polished, prettiest and most atmospheric game on the
GameCube
right now.
But enough about the game. Let's talk about me. Don't you dare scroll down
and omit this precious paragraph! This guide is, for all intensive purposes,
complete. I might add a Power Bomb section a bit later, if I'm feeling up to
it. If you have some information you'd like to contribute, scroll down or run a
search for "Contact Guidelines".
With all that filler put away, scroll down and all your Metroid Q's shall be
answered in a disorderly and right-to-left fashion (...)
~ BHS
__ __ __ __
/__\/__\ [1.2] Storyline [1.2] /__\/__\
\__/\__/Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯\__/\__/
First I will give the you guys the plot, courtesy of the instruction manual.
You wouldn't believe how long it took me to transcribe this. (I want my 30
minutes back!)
___ ___
/ / The Chozo / /
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
The Chozo...over millennia, this bird-like race of creatures made incredible
technological and scientific leaps. Traveling at will through space, they
built many marvels across the universe--technological wonders of
unfathomable complexity and cities unmatched in beauty. They shared their
knowledge freely with more primitive cultures and learned to respect and
care for life in all its forms.
Even as their society reached its technological peak, however, the Chozo
felt their spirituality wane. Their culture was steeped in prophesy and
lore, and they foresaw the decline of the Chozo coinciding with the rise of
evil. Horrified by the increasing violence in the universe, they began to
withdraw into themselves, forgoing technology in favor of simplicity. Tallon
IV was one of several refuges they built--a colony bereft of technology,
built of natural materials and wedded to the land and its creatures.
The years passed, and in time a great meteor crashed into Tallon IV, sending
a massive spume of matter into the atmosphere and impregnating the land with
a cancerous element known as the Phazon. This element immediately sank into
the earth and water, poisoning life wherever it bloomed. Most plants and
animals died while other mutated into hideous forms.
The Chozo then called upon their knowledge and technology to control the
power of the Phazon, but their efforts were doomed to fail. All they could
do was build a temple over the crater at the impact site, separate the
Phazon core, and seal it away. Believing that someday a savior would return
to the planet, the Chozo left for an unknown destination, leaving nothing
behind but engraved accounts of their time on Tallon IV.
___ ___
/ / The Space Pirates / /
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
The space pirates were interstellar nomads, technologically advanced in both
weaponry and space travel. When they plundered the Metroid population that
had been discovered by the Galactic federation on SR388, they recognized in
them massive military and energy resource potential. They immediately
invaded the nearby planet of Zebes, wiping out all life (including most of
the indigenous Chozo) and building a massive network of research facilities
below the planets surface.
Deep below the surface of Zebes, the space Pirates researched Metroid for
Many years, even as a young girl orphaned by their raid on the neighboring
planet K-2L was growing up among the Chozo. Trained as a warrior and infused
with Chozo blood, Samus Aran donned a Chozo-made power suit and cut a swatch
through the space pirates operation destroying everything in her path,
including the mainstays of the Space pirate army. She eventually made it to
the core of their base, destroyed all the Metroids she say, and seemingly
blew up the mother brain.
But the Space Pirates were far from finished. They immediately split their
survivors into two main camps. One headed to Zebes to begin rebuilding their
ravaged facility and resuscitating mother brain, Ridley and Kraid. The
second set out in search of a planet with powerful energy resources. They
didn't search far before they discover Tallon IV, which was still emanating
huge pulses of energy from the Phazon contained beneath the Chozo temple.
Entranced by the massive potential of the strange mutagen, they immediately
moved in retrofitting their laboratories, transporters and life support
systems into the Chozo ruins.
As the mined the Phazon and they found that its capacity to mutate was
beyond anything they'd ever seen, and they promptly started combining it
with native life-forms. They refined their operation: powering their
machinery with thermal-powered engines sunk in the molten depths of Tallon
Iv, they drove deep mineshafts and mined more and more Phazon, shipping it
to their two man labs in the Phendrana Drifts, where sub-zero temperatures
made specimen containment safer. Research leaped forward; by harnessing the
Phazons power, they were able to create untold horrors that soon patrolled
the dark caverns below Tallon IV's crust.
The space pirates also transported man species to their orbiting ship for
zero-G Phazon experiments, unaware that Samus Aran had finally tracked their
ship to its low orbit. As they continued with their unnatural experiments,
Samus sped towards Tallon IV, preparing to wipe them out once and for all...
__ __ __ __
/__\/__\ [1.3] Controls [1.3] /__\/__\
\__/\__/Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯\__/\__/
Yes...Metroid Prime does indeed have a unique set of command buttons. Here's
a look at what you will press to manipulate Samus (don't you feel all sexy?).
+ + + +
|-----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
+ + + +
| L Button |---| R Button |
| |---| |
| • Lock onto enemies |---| • Look Up and Down |
| • Scan objects in Scan Mode |---| • Aim |
| • Use Grapple beam. |---| • Activate Spider Ball aug |
| |---| |
+ + + +
|-----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
+ + + +
| Z Button |---| Y Button |
| |---| |
|• Call up map (use when you |---| • Fire Missiles |
| need to find out the name |---| • Lay Power Bombs |
| of the room your are in or |---| |
+ place where you need to go)+ + +
|-----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
+ + + +
| X Button |---| A Button |
| |---| |
| • Go into/out of Morph mode |---| • Fire Laser beam weapon |
| |---| • Lay Bombs |
| |---| |
+ + + +
|-----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
+ + + +
| B Button |---| C Stick |
| |---| |
| • Jump |---| • Select beam weapon |
| • Activate Boost |---| |
| • Dash while locked on |---| |
+ + + +
|-----------------------------| |-----------------------------|
+ + + +
|---|
______|___|_______
| Control Stick |
| |
| • Control Samus |
| • Look around |
| • Aim (with R) |
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
__ __ __ __
/__\/__\ [1.4] Combat / The Basics [1.4] /__\/__\
\__/\__/Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯\__/\__/
___ ___
/ / ~The Visor~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
The Visor is a revolutionary way of being in the first-person perspective.
The visor displays all the normal statistics, such as Energy Rates, Missile
Ammo, etc. There are some things that are easy to miss, however. This things
include the little "!" sign. When this sign is emboldened, it indicates the
nearby presence of an enemy. Pay attention to this, as some times in the game,
if you're not paying attention, you could find yourself being shot at from an
unknown source. This is a time to pay attention to the standard radar as
well.
Another likable thing about this visor of Samus' is that it can be augmented
to hold up to four upgrades, and you never know when you might need them. Switch
to them using the (+) Control Pad. The last, but certainly not least most
important feature of the Visor is to scan enemies and objects. Press Left on the
(+) Control Pad to bring up the scanner, then scan any object or enemy you want.
This often provides useful information on the objects and the weak spots of
enemies around you, and it's required to scan everything in the game to
attain the imagery galleries.
___ ___
/ / ~Lock On~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
Yes, unlike most games of this genre, there isn't any free-look function
using the C-stick. Well, that's just too bad people, because this isn't your
standard FPS fare. Basically, it's back to the Golden Eye days with one
stick. But, it isn't that bad since there is a lock-on function. To do this,
face any enemy in your visor and press the L Button. Hold that button and
Samus' weapon will hold its aim on the desired object. This makes shooting a
lot easier. The only thing to remember is to hold down the L Button tightly.
Now, we all know the L and R buttons have sensitivity problems, but you will
have to deal with it.
___ ___
/ / ~Mortal Combat~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
No, not the new fighter from Midway. I'm talking the fight-for-your-life-
against-hideous-beasts-combat. Though the enemies aren't as powerful as
those from, say, Half-Life, they still are pretty intimidating. The thing to
remember in lock-on duels is that you should always keep moving. You can't
just sit there and shoot at a foe and expect it to die without Samus taking
any damage. No, you must learn to strafe. Strafing can be accomplished using
the B Button; tapping the B button can execute this. Strafing in a circle
around a fire-breathing or icicle-spewing or any other form you find in
Tallon IV is key to your victory in battle. Not only are moving targets (YOU)
harder to hit, but you can also find the weak spots of the enemy, most often
the back of it or the tail.
A general rule of thumb is to never get in a situation where you're
overwhelmed. In other words, try not to engage too many monsters at once; taking
on five or six space pirates isn't the easiest nor the smartest thing to do.
Always try and a kill enemies one at a time, making things a lot less stressful
and with much less melee than taking on battalions of the enemy.
___ ___
/ / ~The Morph Ball~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
As from previous Metroid games, as well as in SSB:M, the Morph ball returns.
It is a very important ability that will get you through tight areas, half-
pipes, and even defeat some enemies. To change into the Morph ball, press
the X button. You will switch to third person view and you can move Samus
around in the little ball anywhere you want. You obviously cannot use any of
her weapons, but, once you find the upgrade, Samus can drop bombs which act
as weapons and as a means to blowing open false or cracked walls. The bombs
Samus drops often will be used to propel her upward, acting as a mini-jump
to get her into area's that require diligence and speed.
There are three other useful upgrades to the Morph ability Samus can find.
First, is the Speed Ball. The Speed Ball provides quick bursts of speed
while Morphed. To activate the burst, press and hold B, then release it.
There are a few uses to this upgrade, but most importantly it'll be used on
half-pipes (the kind pro-skaters use to pull off tricks) to reach higher
areas.
The last upgrades available are the Power Bombs and Spider Ball. I've yet to
attain these, so I'll hold off an explanation until later.
___ ___
/ / ~Power Ups & Power Moves~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
There are several power-ups, health healers, and upgrades you may find
during the course of your playing time. Here is a list of the aforementioned
things and their purpose.
_________________________________________________
+ Object + Purpose/Explanation +
|-------------------|-----------------------------|
+ + +
| Small Energy Ball | Heals 10 points of lost |
| | health. |
| | |
| Large Energy Ball | Heals 20 points of lost |
| | health. |
| | |
| Ultra Enrgy Ball | Heals 100 points of health.|
| | |
| Missile Expansion | Increases the number of |
| | missiles you may carry in |
| | reserve by 5. |
| | |
| Energy Tanks | Increases your health |
| | reserves by 100%. |
| | |
+ + +
|-------------------|-----------------------------|
+ + +
___ ___
/ / ~Critical Mash~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
Here in the world of Tallon IV, you will have a ton of info at your disposal.
This includes your Map, Log Book, and Inventory.
To bring up the map during gameplay, press the Z button. This shows a three
dimensional display of the area's surrounding Samus. There are a few key
elements that make this map special. First though, learn to use the legen.
Many times you will find yourself lost, looking for a door. Look at the map
and find the symbol that marks the door and there ya go. Second, there is a
hint feature built into the map. At certain points in the game, a little
screen will come up on your Visor and will say its downloading or decoding
or something along those lines new information. Once it's finished, check
your map and a question mark will appear over an area on the map. That
question mark notes where you should go next. This is VERY VERY helpful, so
don't be afraid to use it since it doesn't spoil anything. A good nudge in
the right direction never hurt anybody, right?
The Inventory is standard fare in Adventures and some FPS. Here in this
hybrid we have the inventory as well. Here you may look at any and all of
Samus upgrades and get an in-depth description of them.
The Log book is where your scanings go to. All the information you've
collected from scanning enemies and objects is copied and permanently pasted
here for later reading. This includes Pirate Data, Chozo Lore, Creatures
(the bestiary), Research, and Artifacts. Be sure to check this screen now
and then as it's key to understanding the story and truly immersing yourself
into this gargantuan game.
___ ___
/ / ~The Armory~ \ \
Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯
The last sub-section in this section is information on Samus' various suits
and gadgetries.
The Power Suit is the most basic of Samus collection of high-powered Chozo-
made energy efficient armor. You will never see Samus out of her suit as it's
an important source of protection as well as a way to survive the harsh
environments Samus will venture to.
The Varia suit is the same as the power suit, but with one special little
ability: it allows Samus to survive extreme heat, ala Magmoor Caverns.
The Gravity Suit allows Samus to ignore the adverse affects of being
submerged by letting her jump and move as she normally would on dry land.
The last suit, the Phazon Suit, grants immunity to the adverse affects of the
toxic substance called Phazon.
Now, we get into Samus weapons. The Power Beam is her most basic weapon
which is a standard blaster. It can be charged for a more powerful blast,
but there's nothing really special about it except for its fast firing-
rates. The Wave beam fires rounds of energy (electricity) at foes. As like
the Power Beam, the Wave Beam can be charged up for a more unruly blast, but
this one blast momentarily stuns foes, allowing you to put them away without
much more of a scuttle.
She two more weapons that I can remember off the top of my head: The ice and
plasma beams. The Ice beam, as you'd expect, shoots out ice. For a more detailed
description (well...sorta) see the "Suit Augmentations" Section. As for the
Plasma Beam, this one is the most powerful and it gives off extreme heat. I for
one didn't know plasma was hot...I mean, it makes up 99% of the universe, and
most of the universe is at absolute zero temperature. Except for stars, which
are made of plasma and obviously very very hot...what the hell am I babbling
about!? Bleh, stooopid science exams. Sorry if I made your head hurt.
___________________________________________________
/ ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == \
\ Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = Â¯Â¯Â¯Â¯ = /
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Chapter Two: The Walkthrough
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/ ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == ____ == \
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Yes, the real reason that you clicked on this file's link is directly below.
You should run a search using the Table of Contents by Pressing CTRL + F and
typing in where you want to go. Of course you don't have to, but it sure
saves a lot of scrolling. As some of you may notice, the section breakers I used
to separate the levels are identical to my Ts2 FAQ. You can blame this on my
laziness and the fact that they still look damn good ;)
_____ _____
/\___/\ [2.1] Prologue [2.1] /\___/\
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Take the time after the introducing cut scene to familiarize yourself
with the awkward controls. You're going to have to deal with them since
there isn't any customization available. After you're done doing whatever it
is you usually do when you start a brand new game, be it admiring the
surroundings, playing with Samus's Morph function, or hoping your dad
will buy you a new zucchini for Christmas (...), head up to the force-
field and hit all four buttons attached to the beams with Samus's Power Beam.
This will cause the force-field to dissipate. You just solved the games first
puzzle, congratulations :P
Go up to the machine on the center of the platform. If you cannot find
it, my best advice is to jump naked into a piranha infested pool. Anyway,
scan the thing to activate the red buttons over on the left. Shoot the visible
four like last time. But it doesn't open! Try looking up with the R button. Leap
up the step and proceed into the frigate itself. If you honestly need help from
here until you get to the boss, well, I feel for you buddy.
Eventually, you should reach the boss, the Parasite Queen.
[BOSS: The Parasite Queen]
The Parasite Queen is a large mutant insect the Space Pirates have been
experimenting with, augmenting it and injecting it with Phazon, a
substance known to genetically mutate life forms (which they hope to use for
their purposes). You shouldn't have come to this conclusion yet, but I just
told you, so there. Anyways, this boss is relatively generic and simple; it's
main purpose is to get you familiar with the lock-on and strafe techniques.
All that needs to be done is to [GASP!] shoot it a bunch of times. Retro
spices things up by putting a force-field around the thing, so there are only
two openings in the force field at any given time. You must use the B Button
to strafe to the points where the force field is not active.
The Queens only attack is spitting out some kind out some kind of toxic
juice. If you're caught in the beam, you lose only about 10 points of
health. Just strafe around the attacks.
All and all, this a pretty simple minded fight. It is time consuming, but
to anyone at least somewhat familiar to the action genre, this should be a
breeze.
After the Parasite Queen is defeated, the frigate will Start to get really
screwed up, and as the five-minute timer indicates it's going to blow up in a
jiffy. Escaping isn't that hard, just ignore the bugs crawling around. It's all
very linear, but don't worry; once you're off this space rig and onto Tallon IV
things get much better.
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/\___/\ [2.2] Tallon IV's Treasures [2.2] /\___/\
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You will land on Tallon IV (pronounced either "Tallon Four," because of the
possible Roman numeral [IV], or "Tallon Eye-Vee," and I'm not really sure) at
the landing site. As you might have noticed, Samus has lost her Morphing
function, her Grapple Beam, the Charge Shot, her missile capabilities, and her
Varia suit. Yeah, that definitely sucks, but here in this section we're going to
get them all back, and more.
You will be prompted to save. Do so by pressing "yes". Note that when you
return to your ship all your ammunition (if you have any) will be restored. Here
in this landing site there isn't much you can do without augmentation. So for
now, jump up the terraces in front of Samus' ship and proceed through the door.
You will encounter some Beetle's, whom will burrow from out of the sand. Blow
them to pieces if that is your desire, but I wouldn't waste my time on them
since all enemies reappear once you enter a new area and return. Out of the
tunnel you will arrive at a small area called Tallon Canyon. It's green, full of
wildlife, with a beautiful waterfall at its center and a half-pipe at its end
(which you can't do anything with yet). You may explore the canyon, but there
isn't much you can do in your current state. Just proceed through the door at
the canyons end.
A Chozo-made elevator is what Samus will stumble upon. Scan the elevators
control panel and take it up to the Chozo Ruins. Proceed through the Ruins
Access, disarming a few beetles while you're at it. When you reach the Main
Plaza, head straight, meaning directly to the north. At the end of the plaza,
turn left and you will find a door. Head on through it to the Nursery Access,
and then to the Ruined Nursery. There you'll encounter some pesky bugs called
War Wasps. As you might guess, they are only bees; a blast or two from your
Power Beam should put them in their place. Hop up the slabs of stone and
enter the door where you may save your game. Exit that room and proceed on
through the door, noting the Morph ball maze on the wall (which you can't use
yet). Continue to the North Artium, and then to the room entitled Hive Totem, a
dark and murky room full of toxic sludge that you wouldn't want to be caught
dead in (haha). Mini-Boss time.
This "boss" is incredibly easy. All you have to do is dispose of the War
Wasps, then shoot the machine that is dispensing them. That's it. When you
destroy it, a [MISSILE EXPANSION] will become unlocked; go retrieve it to
restore Samus' missile launch capabilities.
~ ACQUIRED : Missile Launch ~
Grab the [ENERGY TANK] in the adjoining room, then return to the Ruined
Gallery. There is a [MISSILE EXPANSION] behind a cracked, false wall that can be
blown open with a missile. Also in this room is a map machine, which downloads
the entire map of Chozo Ruins. Nifty little device, no? Get to it by blowing
the barricade off the door it's behind. Now, return to the Main Plaza.
Go back to the half-pipe in the centerway of the plaza. Right after you fully
pass it, turn right to find a door with a barricade over it, like the one you
found blocking the door to the map machine. This is the same; blow it off as
a gun blows a lock off. Battle the beetles in the Ruined Shrine Access, then
proceed to the Ruined Shrine itself. Leap over the stone to come to a small,
enclosed little area, and a bajillion beetles will unearth themselves to
engage in battle. This isn't hard by any means, but after you annihilate all
the little buggers, the big momma, also called the Plated Beetle, will appear
nice and angry. Destroy this piece of work by blasting its red tail. Two
missile's will do it in. Afterwards, a slab of stone will lower itself, giving
you access to the Morph Ball augmentation!
~ ACQUIRED : Morph Ball ~
Use the Morph Ball to get through the pipe going through the work of stone.
Back at the Main Plaza, head to its northernmost end to find a series of
platforms which you can use to ascend. Do so and you will encounter some more
troublesome War Wasps; blast their hive and proceed to the door the bridge
made of roots will take you to. Inside is a small tunnel; watch out for the
suicidal Scarabs and Morph through the wreckage like you did on the Space
Frigate. Head to the Ruined Fountain where you will find some fire-fly like
creatures lighting the chamber. Go through the door on the left, to the
Arboretum.
The Arboretum is a huge, cylindrical chamber with a giant tree in the center,
which reaches up to the ceiling. Well, we'll explore it later, as for now we
have other errands. Go through the door on the other end of the bottom floor,
avoiding the omnipresent poisoned waters, to a small maintenance corridor.
Run on through it to the Gathering Hall. On the right is a saving point for the
paranoid, if you fall into that category. Go through the door to the right of
the poisoned pond, to the Watery Hall Access, where another false and cracked
wall conceals a [MISSILE EXPANSION].
At the Watery Hall (such a clever name) you will have to scan four smartly
hidden Runes to open a door. The first (1) is to the left of the entrance.
The next (2) is on the bottom floor; jump across the stone islands to reach it,
under the Blastcaps (the deformed toadstools). Next (3) is on the east side
of the room, directly below the door you're trying to open. The last (4) is
right next to the door we're attempting to open; get their by making like Mario
and hopping across the platforms. When you scan all four, scan the center of the
door and it'll retract, revealing to you the Charge Shot.
~ ACQUIRED : Charge Shot ~
Exit this Watery Hall back to the Gathering Hall. Once there, make your way
up to the top using the various platforms. Continue into a place called the
Energy Core. Turn left and enter the pipe on the bottom of the floor. Go through
the network of pipes until you find... a boss. Not too tough.
[Mini-Boss - Incinerator Drone]
This is a mini-boss, not a boss. Thus, things are a lot easier than they
normally would be. The things only attacks are spewing out jets of flame,
but you should watch out for the War Wasps in the indestructible hive
above the machine.
To attack the thing, all you have to do is wait until a red button
appears over it. Hit that red button until it retracts. Continue in this
fashion to defeat it. Once you defeat it you will get the bomb upgrade.
~ ACQUIRED : Morph Ball Bomb ~
Before you leave, scan the (with your eyes) floor and you will spot a small
discoloration in the shape of a pipe. It's a little blockade preventing you
from entering it; blow it open, go down the pipe to find a [MISSILE EXPANSION].
Return to the Energy Core. Find the fat Stonetoad on the floor and let
it eat you. How to let it eat you? Go into a Morph in front of it and it'll
slurp you right up! Bomb the inside of its mouth to spill its guts and open a
secret room. Inside the room is a machine, and next to it a Morph Ball Slot
in the wall. Get into the slot and drop a bomb in it. This will force the
machine to start churning, draining the Energy Core of its toxic waters. A timer
will now start (remember this, Ocarina of Time fans?) and you must get to the
room outside and to the right, before the poisonous water returns when the timer
expires. Get there, use the ball switch in the wall, and this will make some
platforms start moving. Use them to get to another machine; use the ball
switch and the timer will stop and more platforms will rise and a door will
unlock.
Through the unlocked door you will find a Magnetic Rail Track; you cannot use
it it yet, since you don't have the Spider Ball upgrade, so just go through the
small pipe next to it. It leads to a valuable [ENERGY TANK].
Backtrack to the Arboretum. If you forgot where it is, check the map. Here
you want to find four Runic symbols, like you did in the Watery Hall, and scan
them to open a door. The first (1) is on a small little island in the midst of
the poisonous waters, on the bottom. Blast away the toxic gas to get to it. The
(2) is located up a bit higher. Use the platforms connected to the tree to get
to a small Morph ball ledge. Get across it by blowing away the blocks with your
bombs. After you pass another small ledge accessible only by using your Morph
ball, you will find the second runic symbol. The third (3) is above the small
bridge made out of sticks, and the last (4) is facing the door we need to get
open, way up at the top of the Arboretum. Once you scan them all, the door
will open, of course. Make your way through some hazardous corridors filled with
toxic grass and Reaper Vines to find your first REAL boss battle, with
Flaagrha.
[BOSS: Flaagrha]
Flaagrha is a giant plant with a name that I don't care to learn to
pronounce. That pretty much sums it up. But, destroying the thing will
require some critical thinking skills. Flaagrha's main attack is to beam
stuff at you, like the Parasite Queen did, and swipe with its claws. Its
only other attack is to throw its head on and create a temporary garden,
fully of toxic plants that you should take care to avoid.
Now, onto the strategy you'll use to kill the thing. Look around the arena
and you will find four mirrors. In the beginning, only one mirror is
active and is shining light on Flaagrha. That light is the source of the
plants' power. That means you must somehow stop that light from shining on
the plant. But first, you must stun Flaagrha. Get into the vicinity of the
active mirror and start pounding Flaagrha with your Power Beam until it is
stunned. Once it is stunned, shoot the button on the backside of the mirror;
this will cause the mirror to deactivate, and Flaagrha will take a blow and
fall paralyzed to the floor. Now is your chance to damage it. FMV will show
the vines guarding the tunnels that lead to Flaaghra recede. Morph into those
tunnels and at the end you will find a Morph Ball Slot. Use it and you will
hit Flaagrha, hard, and do some damage.
_____________________________________________________________________________
A good strategy from It's Ray:
Go to the door that leads out but DON'T LEAVE. You will have lost some health
and missiles for sure. You might as well fill them up if you can, right?
Well, slowly advance towards the gas area. SLOWLY until the threat meter (or
whatever you call it) is at the highest before hurting you. Hold down your "R
button" and shoot the [insert name of ball thingies that have gaz in them]
one by one as they come out. When you shoot them, use your charge beam to
bring in the missiles and health. Do that until you get full health and
missiles. It might take awhile, but it'll help you later on.
_____________________________________________________________________________
After you damage it the first time, not only will the original mirror
reset into its default position but ANOTHER mirror will activate, giving the
monster more energy. The same strategy applies; stun the beat then quickly
deactivate the mirrors. Make sure the thing is stunned BEFORE you attempt
to deactivate the mirrors, otherwise Flaagrha will reach with a tentacle and
reset the mirror itself. After you damage it again, three total mirrors
will become active. Hit it again, and then one more time with all four
mirrors functioning, and you will kill the source of the poison that is
plaguing the Chozo Ruins.
After you defeat the plant-monster, grab the little coin, which is actually
your Varia suit!
~ ACQUIRED : Varia Suit ~
Now you can enter the dangerous heats of the Magmoor Caverns! Hop up the
steps the Varia suit was lying on. Go through the door, pass the currently-
invulnerable Pulse Bombu to the elevator that will take you where you need to
go.
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/\___/\ [2.3] Frigid Heat [2.3] /\___/\
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Run along the Burning Trail, making your way to the saving point on the left
where the tunnel turns at a right angle. I suggest you use it. Afterwards
make your way into the Lake Tunnel. Kill the Grizby's with concussion missiles,
proceed to the Lava Lake, the threshold of Magmoor. At the Lava Lake you will
encounter a Magmoor poking its head out of the lava (if you didn't guess,
this whole place is named after that serpent). Give it a few blows to the head
with any particular weapon to blow its head off (literally). While you're
standing there, it's a good idea to rid this cavern of the troublesome Puffers,
who [on death] release an annoyingly poisonous gas. Since you've no double jump,
this little bit of platforming will be quite a challenge for the newbie. Well,
deal with it and get to the other side of this beautiful, vacation-worthy pool
of magma (...)
Wait! There's no way out of here! Help me BHS!!! As someone once said, you've
got to think outside the box. In this case, that someone meant it literally;
approach the supply boxes ahead of you and Morph into them. Blow the boxes up
with a bomb to reveal a false wall. I'm sure you can take it from here.
Ahh, here's a lovely piece of work. Morph into the pit to find some
Triclops', vexing little creatures that like to take Samus into their mouths and
spit her out...to the exit. They really will carry you to the exit of the pit
and spit you out if you get caught in their claws. So, it's better to put them
to death by leaving a Morph ball bomb in their vicinity; they will pick the bomb
up and BOOM: pop goes the weasel.
Once you're out of the annoying little pit you shall come to another, larger
cavern with another Triclops pit. If you want a [MISSILE EXPANSION], you must
throw Samus into the pit and navigate around the little creatures. If you
don't, or are lazy like me, then just platform-hop up the floating islands to
the exit.
The Moniter Station is the most important area in Magmoor, as it contains an
Artifact (which we can't yet get) and has transports to Phendrana and Tallon
Overworld. For now, we'll take the path to Phendrana. Firstly, destroy the
turrets hanging from the arch. Once finished, proceed to the west end of the
area, where a single Puffer is floating around near a small island in the
lava. Use the island to get onto a narrow, ascending path. Run up the path and
at its summit leap off and onto the catwalk protruding in your direction. From
there, proceed to the door. Blow it open, then use the tunnels to get to
Phendrana.
Blow away the ice with a charged shot of your Power Beam to arrive at
Phendrana. This is a beautiful land of snow and ruins. It's also one of the
places you will spend a lot of time at, searching for upgrades and whatnot.
There [currently] aren't any immediately threatening enemies, unless you
consider the Crystallites to be a true horror. Approach the blocked up tunnel to
your left. Get into it by using your Morph abilities, and then scan the wall for
a switch. It will unlock a door "directly above you". Exit the tunnel and hang a
left to find a series of small platforms acting like a set of stairs. Follow
them up, and at the top landing jump to the door you just unlocked.
In the Ice Ruins Access you will encounter some Pulse Bombus. These
irrational little creatures are just a ball full of energy...literally. You
cannot destroy them (you need the Wave Beam) so just Morph by, squeezing through
their electrical arcs.
In the Ice Ruins East you will encounter some Baby Sheegoths, the real
predators of Phendrana. Heheh, those are pretty big babies aren't they? Just
wait till you see the adults! To defeat them you've got to blast their backs
until their shells come off, then hit their vulnerable backs a few more times to
kill them. That is if you feel like it. You're better off ignoring them; it's
not like you get more EXP. points for defeating the Sheegoths. Anyway, turn to
your right and start making jumps up the platforms. Continue to roof-hop until
you reach a door. Get through it to a small tunnel. Run through the melee of
bugs that like to splatter stuff on your visor, to the Ice Ruins West. On the
far corner of this snowy ruin there is a ditch leading to a door. Enter the door
to come to a clearing with Pulse Bombu's bombing away. Ignore them for now and
continue to Phendrana Canyon. There is a switch up a short slope. Activate it
and some platforms will appear over a half-pipe. Right when you land on one,
that one starts to sink, so make your jumps quickly to get the Speed Ball.
~ ACQUIRED : Speed Ball ~
Now, 'tis time for some backtracking and gathering goodies on your way. So,
head back to the Chozo Ruins. In the room with the Transport to Magmoor are
three doors. The center door is the one you should go through to the Transport
Access North. Ride the pacing lift up to a small pipe. Go through the pipe via
Morph ball to come to a small chamber with an upgrade blocked off from all
sides. Unlock the upgrades using the Morph Ball Slots; you're going to have to
time your bomb placement since the slots are pretty high. Once you use all
three, the [MISSILE EXPANSION] is yours. Now head out the door in here to find a
[ENERGY TANK] on a ledge overlooking the main plaza.
Drop down off the ledge and head over to the half-pipe. On the half-pipe, go
into your Morph mode. The camera should reveal a [MISSILE EXPANSION]. Grab it
by using your Speed Ball augmentation. Do I need to explain how? Back on our
mission, head all the way back to Tallon Overworld, the Tallon Canyon to be
precise. There you will find a half-pipe. Use it to reach the higher ledges.
Cross the bridge of wood to a dead end. Or so it seems like a dead end. Bomb
the false wall in Morph mode to reveal a small passageway. Get through it to
arrive back at the Landing Site, only this time you're on a previously
inaccessible height. Turn left and enter the door to find your Space Boots.
~ ACQUIRED : Space Boots ~
Jump down and save at your ship; this also replenishes your missile supply.
While you're down there you might as well explore. Upon further examination
you should find a small hole containing a lot of grass. Inside is a [MISSILE
EXPANSION]. Now it's time to return to Phendrana. A much quicker way of
getting there is by going through the Root Cave. If you haven't already been
there, the Root cave is accessible through the Tallon Canyon; its entrance is
next to the waterfall. On the bottom of the root cave is a door. Go through it
to find a small tunnel. Under the causeway is a [MISSILE EXPANSION]; be sure to
grab that before entering the transport room and taking it to the Magmoor.
Once in Magmoor Caverns, take the path to your right. Navigate the track over
the lava. Don't worry about the Magmoor; he shouldn't bother you much. In the
following room, you should notice you appear to be stranded. Not so; look to
your left to find some crates. Go into Morph mode and bomb them to reveal a
Morph ball track. Follow the track above the lava to a [MISSILE EXPANSION].
Drop down to find a not-so-pleasant Triclops. Have fun with it. Leap over the
magma and continue to the door.
From here, I dare make the assumption that you have the competence to find
your way back to the Monitor Station. Look at the map if you get lost. Once
you're back there, head on up to BRIDGE to the transport to Phendrana. On the
BRIDGE, look to your left to find a small maintanence cart hanging slightly
above it. Jump onto it to reach the higher platform. Approach the spinner and
place Samus in it. I assume you know what to do. Once you finish the bridge will
extend...half-way, but it's enough to let you jump. Do so, then follow the
path up the Artifact, the first of twelve. Now, proceed to Phendrana.
Once you re-arrive at the Phendrana Shore, go up the slope you took to reach
the East Ice Ruins, the slope with the Crystallites crawling all over it. This
time though, *instead* of jumping to the door that led to the East Ice
Access, jump on the floating platform. You shouldn't have any trouble with your
new jumping capabilities. Use the following platforms to reach the entrance to
the Ice Temple. Head on through the door to find a little jumping puzzle, and a
baby Sheegoth; you know what to do. As for the jumping, the only thing you
should worry about are the Ice Parasites crawling around the blocks. Blast them
to pieces beforehand to insure they don't get in the way. Once at the top,
notice the door is closed and there doesn't appear to be a switch nearby. Scan
the nearby faces...one of them has "stress fractures that can be seen running
down its face." Blast that one with a rocket to reveal a Morph Ball Slot. Use it
to open the door.
In the Chapel Tunnel, there is a block that can be broken. Bomb it to drop
down. Scroll to the far left and start bombing away to lower the above pillar.
Do that same with the next and you will come to the Chapel of the Elders, where
you will be received with an ambush of baby Sheegoths. Destroy all four...and an
adult Sheegoth will blast out of the wall. I told you they were big.
[Unofficial BOSS: (Adult) Sheegoth]
I know this isn't a boss, but to the first-time Metroid gamer it will seem
as hard a as a real boss battle. The Sheegoth is immune to Beam weaponry
(except the Plasma Beam, but that information doesn't apply to us yet).
Everything you shoot at it will be absorbed by the crystals on its back. The
way to damage it is to wait until it breaths ice; after it breaths ice it
goes into a short hibernation period, almost as if it is resting. That's your
chance; lock onto the mouth and hit it with a Missile. About six Missiles
blasts will kill it.
As for its attacks, they are basic. Just a ram when you get too close and
a breath of ice which can freeze you (tap B to get unfrozen).
Once you finish up, the Wave Beam will be yours!
~ ACQUIRED: Wave Beam ~
Backtrack to the Phendrana Shoreline. Go to the Ice Ruins West. Once there,
notice a ruin with an open door directly right of the entrance. Go into that
ruin and you will find some Chozo Lore. Scan it, then jump higher to a
vantage point where you can lock onto a hanging stalactite. Hit it with a
missile and the stalactite will plop to the snow, providing you with platform to
reach a higher area. Exit the ruin and hurdle onto the fallen stalactite. Turn
180 degrees to find a ledge with Crystallites crawling on it. Jump over to that
and continue to roof-hop until you come a door openable only by hitting it with
your Wave Beam.
Through the door you will find some Pulse Bombu's and Scarabs. You can
finally kill the annoying Pulse Bombu's! Do so and proceed to the Courtyard.
Head over to the spinner and use it to open the hatches of two large pipes 50
feet above you. There is another spinner, on the west end of the Courtyard
(consider 'west' the left of where you first entered). Use it and you will
activate a Morph Ball Slot. Use the slot to temporarily raise the water levels
in the Courtyard; when the levels are fully raised, traverse over the floes to
the small ball chute. Enter it to find an [ENERGY TANK]. The water levels should
now be back to normal; raise them again, but this time climb up to the top
platform. Before you go any further, you may want to save, on the east side of
the courtyard; the door with the barricade on it.
Go through the door on the north end of the Courtyard, noting that the door
on the west is not powered. We've got to fix that, but doing so will take a
while. Head into Specimen Storage. A Shadow Pirate will be kind enough to make
your acquaintance. He doesn't have any weaponry...except for his claws. You
should take care to avoid those. Afterwards, take out the turret and proceed to
the Research Entrance. There will be an ambush of four or five Space Pirates.
Use a charge beam to take them out, as two charged shots will do the lamen Space
Pirate in. Once you've finished your dirty little business, advance up the
catwalks and make your way to the Hydra Lab. Dissipate the force-field using
the switch and some more wannabes will attack. KO all six of them then head up
the catwalks. Take out the turret, scan all the information that can be scanned,
and that's a lot it. It'll take you ten minutes to read all of that. When you
care to leave, do so via the purple door on the ceiling, on the top platform.
This icy tunnel contains four turrets. Knock them all out before entering the
Observatory. Take out all the pirates in here and a terminal will activate.
The FMV will show you where. Activate that terminal to activate a Morph Ball
Slot. Activate that to activate another Morph Ball Slot. Activate THAT to
activate the four spinners around the base of the projector. Use them to get the
hologram of the planets up and running, and to make what looks like a missile
expansion appear above. You might want to scan Zebes and Tallon IV, as well as
the other planets (a hint of a sequel, Retro?) before climbing up and
taking...the Super Missile!
~ ACQUIRED: Super Missile ~
Save in the door behind you, the one with the barrier on it, before
continuing to an elevator that leads to the Control Tower. There are several
Space Pirates lurking; take them out, and afterward you will have to deal with
four Flying Pirates. They aren't that hard; just make sure to get out of the way
of their suicide dash when you damage them enough.
In Reasearch Lab Aether, you will find a Metroid! Metroid fans are now in
reverie of their days as 8 year olds playing Super Metroid. After you get
over the gorgeous model of the Metroid you're going to have to battle the thing.
It isn't very hard...unless it gets stuck on you. If that happens, go into Morph
mode and lay a bomb on yourself; the explosion will knock it off. If you just
leave the Metroid there, it will stay on Samus, sucking her energy away. Once
you kill it, a Space Pirate will promptly appear and object to your rude
ways. Put him to 'rest' and clean out the entire room. Look at all the storage
tanks...in one of them is an [ENERGY TANK]. Get it by blowing up the glass
with a missile. Afterwards, exit to the Research Core Access through a small
door on the floor.
There isn't much in the Research Core Access, so continue to the Research
Core itself. You will spot a single Space Pirate near a terminal. Take him out
as well as the flying pirates who've arrived. Drop to the bottom to find the
thermal visor, behind a force-field. Deactivate the force field by scanning
the three terminals in this room, one on every level.
~ ACQUIRED: Thermal Visor ~
Now your only goal is to get out of here, back to the Courtyard. But, first
things first. Some Space Pirates will attack; drop them and head up the
catwalks. And guess what; the Metroid containment tanks will all shatter as
you get near them. Go figure. Once you've cleared the entire room, head to the
door. But you will note it's not working; turn on your Thermal Visor to spot a
power conduit. Blast the power conduit with your Wave Beam to restore the doors
power. Return to Research Lab Aether. Turn on your Thermal Visor (if it isn't
already on) and proceed up the catwalks...you should notice a small, narrow
ventilation duct...without its sealing. This means it's just a narrow catwalk,
big enough for a cat, or of course your Morph Ball. Use it and carefully follow
it to a [MISSILE EXPANSION]. I assume you can make your way back to the
Courtyard.
Back in the Courtyard, recall the door that was inactive. Go to it now. Turn
on your thermal Visor to spot a power conduit; but it's behind a thin sheath of
cordite. Blast the rock off using your Super Missile (How to fire the super
missile? With the Power Beam out, hold the A button until fully charged, then
press Y). Now hit the conduit to activate the door. Proceed through some
tunnels and Morph ball paths to a boss battle with Thardus.
[BOSS: Thardus]
Thardus is...a bunch of rocks held together by some kind of energy force.
Don't ask, I don't know either. Its main attacks are stomping the ground
and sending out an ice trail that, if you're caught in it, will freeze you.
Simply double-jump whenever you see him ready himself (why do I assume it's
a "him"?) for the ascribed attack. His other attack is raising rocks out
of the ground and throwing them at you. Be sure and destroy them once they
are in the air, as they can be heavily damaging. His last, and perhaps most
potent attack is when he rolls into a ball and speeds towards you. The
ONLY way to avoid this is to get into morph mode and use the speed function
to scoot away. This RARELY works; count on taking a hit whenever he does
this attack.
You cannot initially see his weak spots, thus you cannot lock onto it.
But, turn on your Thermal Visor and you will see a particularly weak joint.
Now you may lock on. Strafe around this joint, hitting it with whatever you
have, hopefully with missiles because any other method takes way too
long. Some things that might pose a problem while attacking in this manner
include the defect of the Thermal Visor; it can be disrupted by flashes of
energy. Recall that the Thardus draws rocks out of the ground to toss at
you; when you destroy them your vision is gamma white and you can't see a
thing for several life-threatening seconds. I recommend that once you
identify that he will execute this attack to quickly switch off your Thermal
Visor and destroy the rocks with Combat Visor, then quickly switch back and
resume your usual attacks.
When you hit the weak joint enough, it will loose its outer membrane and
become visible to the naked eye. Good thing, too, because the Thermal
Visor will overload when the joint loses its membrane. Take the Thermal
Visor off and start attacking the joint in your Combat Visor. After you
destroy it, you will do damage to the Thardus. This will be a LONG fight.
You must hit and destroy about seven or eight joints until Thardus finally
is killed. About half-way through the fight, things will get even more
interesting when Thardus summons a blizzard; this means that when your
Combat Visor is on, your vision is all cloudy like it's foggy in the arena.
This (obviously) makes it difficult to see. Luckily your Thermal Visor won't
have this problem, but you can only use that for so long. Once you destroy
all of his vital weak spots, it will FINALLY fall to the ground, turned back
into what it originally was; a lifeless pile of rock. Your reward? The
Spider Ball!
~ ACQUIRED : Spider Ball ~
Use the Spider Ball on the Magnetic Rail Tracks to get out of here. But there
are two different routes you may take; one leads back to where you came from,
the other leads to a transport to Magmoor. Take the one that leads to
Magmoor. Check the map to see which one this is. Once you arrive back at
Magmoor, turn around and save your game. Now proceed out into the Magmoor
Workstation. Some Flying Pirates will greet you; drop them and take out your
Thermal Visor. You should spot at least three power conduits. Activate all
three, and a machine will start working; it will cool the lava in the Triclops
pit below. Enter the Triclops pit and roll to the path with the recently cooled
magma. What it leads to is a Morph Ball Slot. Activate it to cool another path,
and start a timer. Get to where you need to and activate next Morph Ball Slot,
cooling the north path. There, you will find an [ENERGY TANK].
Get back to ground level and take the path to the northeast, up the blocks of
rock to a fiery chamber with a large...THING, called a Puddle Spore, in the
center of the heat. Shoot the things, ahhh, mouth, to make it turn over on
its back, pretending to be a stepping stone (...). Make your way to the
Geothermal Core. There isn't anything you can do there yet, but remember its
location. Use the puddle spores to get across the lava pit. In the North Tunnel,
there will be a piece of rock hanging over a Magmoor. Shoot the rock with a
missile to have it crush the Magmoor (that was OH so satisfying...well, to me at
least). In the Twin Flares tunnel, again hit the rock on the ceiling with a
concussion missile to create a stepping stone. Proceed to the transport to...
the Chozo Ruins. Well, the transport itself won't directly take you there, but
it will point you in the right direction. And if you couldn't guess from my not-
so-subtle hinting, the Chozo Ruins is where we need to go next. Thus, this
section concludes.
_____ _____
/\___/\ [2.4] Of Ruins and Mines [2.4] /\___/\
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Once in the Chozo Ruins, head to the Ruined Shrine, the place where you
received the Morph Ball upgrade. In there, two [MISSILE EXPANSIONS] can be
found; one can be collected up the half-pipe; the other through the blocked-up
pipe entrance (use bombs to blow it open). After you gather them, use the half-
pipe to get up to a small landing. Head through the stone corridor to find a
Magnetic Rail Track. You know what to do. Proceed from here to the Tower of
Light.
The Tower Of Light has an upgrade we need to get. First, though, we're going
to have to solve a puzzle. We need to get to the top of the Temple of Light; but
the problem is the platforms required are just too high to jump to. So, scan
the pillars supporting the tower. You will find many of them cracked and
otherwise structurally unsound. If you put a pair of missiles into them, they
will collapse. There are four of these structurally-lacking points on this
level; blow them all and the entire Tower of Light will lower itself about 10
feet, enough for you to reach the next set of platforms. Watch out for the
Oculus' though, as missiles bounce of their backs. Continue to lower the Tower
of Light in this manner until you reach the Wave Buster upgrade.
~ ACQUIRED : Wave Buster ~
Now it's time to get back on our main quest. Backtrack from wherever you are
to the Ruined Fountain. Check the map to find out where that is. In the Ruined
Fountain, you will notice that the fountain is now clear of toxicity and is
working correctly. Put your Morph ball into the fountain when it's not
spouting water. Wait a second and the water will push Samus' ball into the
Magnetic Rail Track on the ceiling. Use it to reach a [MISSILE EXPANSION].
From the Ruined Fountain, head to the Gathering Hall. You might want to save
your progress, but I'll leave that up to you. Go into the Watery Hall through
the door adjoining this hall. Remember here, where you got your Charge Shot?
Anyway, head to right, where you found the Charge shot. There you will find a
entrance to a pipe. Head through the pipe to the Dynamo. There you will find
some Magnetic Rail Tracks. Use them to get a [MISSILE EXPANSION]. Drop back
down and blow open the circular pan covering another [MISSILE EXPANSION]. We're
done with the Watery Hall, for now at least.
Return to the Gathering Hall. Make your way up and go into the Energy Core.
Skip across the previously lain platforms to another pipe. Morph through it to
find a Magnetic Rail Track. Continue through the 2D puzzle maze, using the Speed
Ball on the blocks that like to put on a disappearing act. You're now in the
second part of the furnace. Turn left and read the Chozo Lore above the pipe,
then hop in. In the Crossway is another half-pipe. Do we ever get tired of
these? No ;) Use it to reach the north end of the room. Scan the three editions
of Chozo Lore, then turn on your Thermal Visor. Notice that the face next to the
exit is glowing. Blast the face off with a Super Missile to reveal a power
conduit. Hit the conduit with the Wave Beam and some Magnetic Rail Tracks will
appear over the half-pipe. Use the half-pipe to get to the rail tracks, then use
the rail to get in the Morph Ball Slot. This will make another Magnetic Rail
Track swerve out of a wall. Continue with this pattern until you earn the
[MISSILE EXPANSION]. Leave the premises to the Hall of the Elders where you will
be greeted by a Chozo Ghost.
Kill the Chozo Ghost (again I suppose, since technically it's already dead),
and the hands on the statue of a Chozo will start to give off a blue hue. Put
the Morph ball into the hands, and they will clasp and throw Samus onto a
Magnetic Rail Track. Use it to find another Morph Ball Slot. Use it and three
slots will light up. Jump to the upper level, then shoot with your Wave Beam the
purple colored circle, revealing a Morph Ball Slot. Once you use it, the tracks
on the lower level will rotate. Let the Chozo statue toss you again, and this
time your destination will be the Reflecting Pool (don't forget to deactivate
the force field).
Jump head first into the pool. At bottom you should find a drain plug. Blow
it off in Morph mode and the water will drain, leaving you the half-pipe free of
the ever-hindering hydrogen(II) oxide. Use the half-pipe (watch out for the
Stone Toads; you may want to consider taking them out beforehand) to get to
the upper level. There is a saving point behind another one of those barriers,
though it's hardly necessary. Proceed into the Antechamber, where you shall
find the Ice Beam.
~ ACQUIRED : Ice Beam ~
Revisit the Hall of the Elders, more precisely the three Morph Ball Slots.
This time, shoot the white circle with the Ice beam. Use the slot, and the
course below will alter itself again. This time, when used it leads to an
[ENERGY TANK].
Now that we have the Ice Beam, we get to backtrack to Phendrana, ALL the way
back to the Research Core. Have fun on your trip, because there will be more
of this kind of excessive backtracking. At the bottom floor of the Research
Core, there is a door openable only by hitting it with the Ice Beam. Do this and
you shall arrive at the Frozen Pike. There isn't much to do here, so take the
second entrance from top (check your map) to the Frost Cave Access. In the Frost
Cave itself you will come across an adolescent Metroid, called a Hunter Metroid
(get it?). Destroy the incommodious little creature before hitting the
stalactites on the ceiling with concussion blasts. Use the fallen blocks of rock
and ice to get to the only viable entrance way, which happens to lead to a small
tube. You know what to do. This lengthy stretch of metal takes you to
Phendrana's Edge.
Here, you're going to jump into the water. Yes, I know you don't want to. I
don't either, and I know it's hard as hell to maneuver in that psuedo-zero
gravity chamber, but we have to. Exploring the depths you will find a purple
door. Enter it and take the antechamber to the Hunter Cave. In the Hunter
Cave, hit the three stalactites; two will literally break the ice lake below and
serve as islands for you to get across the water with. The last stalactite will
allow access to a higher door; go through that door to find the Lake Tunnel,
which looks EXACTLY like the tunnel you entered the Hunter Cave with. Don't
worry, you're not hallucinating, turned around, lost or high (well, maybe
not...). Just submerge yourself into the icy depths and enter the door. You will
drop down to the bottom of a lake. You can barely see a damn thing down here, so
turn on your Thermal Visor. This will let you see where your awaiting upgrade,
the Gravity Suit, is situated. Avoid the Aqua Reapers and claim it as your own.
~ ACQUIRED : Gravity Suit ~
Now that we have this nifty piece of technology we need to make another long
backtracking trip. This time, it's to the Landing Site in Tallon Overworld.
Get there using any means necessary. Directly behind Samus' space ship (well,
maybe behind and to the left) is a small cave entrance. Follow it where it
leads, to the Waterfall Cave, and then to the Frigate Crash Site. Destroy the
Flying Pirates (a good general tactic: freeze them with a shot of the Ice Beam,
then hit them with a missile, which will shatter them in thirty different
pieces) and jump into the lake. Notice the spilled substance on the ground; for
your information, you will be seeing a lot more of that toxic goo. Navigate
through the murky depths to get to the other side. There you shall find the
remains of the pirate's ship Samus blew up in. Put the few mortally injured
pirates lying around out of their misery and examine the area to find some
stacked crates. Blow them up to unmask a door.
You are forced to enter the ship through the ventilation ducts. Make do and
jump into the waters. Don't worry about going up for air, because if you haven't
already noticed Samus' suit provides her with adequate oxygen levels in any
environment. Since there isn't anything of interest here in Vent. Shat A,
continue to the Ventilation Shaft Section B, where things are even less
interesting, if that's possible. But, there is at least something to do. Hit
the power conduit after you destroy the turret, which will reactivate the door.
Proceed down the heavily damaged shafts, minding the Tallon Crabs which look
a little like red lobsters. In the Reactor Access, use the saving point, and in
the Reactor Core, search out and hit the pair of conduits to advance to the
Cargo Freight Lift to Deck Gamma.